UPDATE: Mike Hartline’s career at the University of Kentucky is officially over after Kentucky Coach Joker Phillips announced the fifth-year senior, has been suspended from the team and will miss the BBVA Compass Bowl on Jan. 8. (Kentucky.com)

EARLIER: Once the joke of the SEC, the University of Kentucky football program will play in it’s fifth consecutive bowl game this year, facing Pittsburgh in the BBVA Compass Bowl. The team also had some very close games against rivals in the conference this season, beating South Carolina and losing to top-ranked Auburn on a last-second field goal. But within days of getting this bowl invitation, the Wildcats face an uncertain future as starting quarterback Mike “Does This Buzz Cut Make My Head Look Big? Hartline has been arrested on a number of charges (including disorderly conduct and alcohol intoxication) after a 3 am disturbance outside an duplex in Lexington. Worst of all, a cheerleader for UK, Ashley Kathleen Carnes, 20, was also arrested at the scene and charged with disorderly conduct, alcohol intoxication, possession of alcohol by a minor and having a fraudulent ID.  That means that UK might not only be missing a key player for the BBVA Compass Bowl, but more importantly, one of their hotter cheerleaders.  No doubt this will have a major impact on Las Vegas oddsmakers.

In checking out Ashley’s Twitter page, there is a picture of her with a young man who looks almost exactly like Mr. Hartline and there are numerous Tweets that mention a Mike or Michael. Are these two dating and/or fighting? Our UK fan readers will no doubt confirm that information for us in due time, but it does appear to be a sad day in Lexington. Among other recent Twitter posts there was this one from December 7, 2010:

“I love 6am drug testing” 5:47 AM Dec 7th via Twitter for iPhone

And this one from “Black Friday” November 26, 2010:

Waiting in line from 10:30pm-5am for a christmas present for Michael. He better love me a lot after all of this craziness! 1:16 AM Nov 26th via Twitter for iPhone

Here’s more on the story from LEX18:

Police say they were called out to a duplex along Cresent Avenue around 3 a.m. for a report of an active disturbance. When officers arrived, they found a group of people outside involved in a verbal altercation.  Officials say an assault investigation connected with the disturbance is ongoing, but did not release any additional information or say who was involved.